Your favorite bakery-style muffin gets an upgrade with tangy sourdough starter, fresh blueberries and the heady scent of lemon zest and vanilla extract. So moist and fluffy, with the perfect crunchy top! Let the batter rest overnight and bake fresh in the morning. Yes, really...
Blueberry muffins are iconic. Everyone loves them. For years, my go-to recipes included blueberry cornmeal muffins and buttermilk blueberry crumb muffins, and then eventually: sourdough. I’m happy with this particular sourdough discard recipe because they are soft yet sturdy, perfectly moist, and bursting with warm blueberry goodness in every bite. The exterior boasts a curiously crisp bite, and the subtle hint of lemon zest and vanilla extract will make your heart sing!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Taste aside, it boils down to this: convenient prep. Make the batter at night, portion into a muffin tin and chill overnight. The flavor deepens with time, and because the batter is naturally fermented for 12+ hours, the muffins are easier to digest (thank you, sourdough). In the morning, bake the muffin batter straight from cold and you’ll have an easy, zero-effort homemade breakfast in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Fine sea salt
- Sourdough Starter (active starter or sourdough discard)
- Whole milk
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Large eggs
- Fresh blueberries
- Powdered sugar, to serve
How To Make Sourdough Blueberry Muffins {Step-By-Step Instructions}
Make The Batter:
- Preheat your oven to 375 F/ 190 C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the sourdough starter and milk together in a separate small bowl; set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and lemon zest together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. I like using a stand mixer for this. Alternatively, use a large bowl and wooden spoon. Just make sure the butter is truly at room temperature (soft) so that it’s easy to mix!
- Next step: Add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Once absorbed, add 1/2 of the milk mixture. Repeat until everything is used up and your have a smooth, consistent batter. It will smell amazing at this point.
- Fold the fresh blueberries into the bowl with a rubber spatula. Note: for the purpose of this blog post, I transferred the batter into a large blue bowl (pictured above) so you could see the texture better. You do not need to do this if using a stand mixer.
- Portion the batter into your lined muffin tin, filling the cups approximately 3/4’s full.
Ferment Overnight (or bake right away):
- Now, at this stage you have two options: bake right away or ferment overnight.
- To bake now: place the tin on the center rack and bake @ 375 F/ 190 C for 25-28 minutes.
- To bake later: cover the tin with foil and chill overnight in the refrigerator, for 12+ hours. Bake straight from cold the next day for 25-28 minutes.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling so the bottoms don’t get soggy.
- Serve warm with powdered sugar! Or eat plain. Both ways are good. Look at how light and delicate they are…
Recipe Tips:
- All sourdough starters are different. The consistency of yours (thick vs. thin) will determine the texture of the muffin batter. You’re looking for a semi-thick batter similar to plain yogurt. This will suspend the berries evenly throughout the muffins, and fortify the overall structure once baked. If your batter is too thin, add more flour. Too thick, add more milk.
- Fresh is best. Compared to frozen blueberries, fresh blueberries they hold their shape better and they are not as wet and mushy after a lengthy, overnight fermentation.
- Zest or citrus oil? I’ve been playing around with citrus oils in my baking, specifically lemon and orange, and I’m in love. First, they’re super convenient to have on hand especially when you don’t have any lemons or oranges to zest. Second, a little bit goes a long way. They are very concentrated. I use Doterra citrus oils. King Arthur Baking also sells them.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes To Try!
- Best Sourdough Pancakes
- Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Secret Ingredient Sourdough Cornbread
- Best Sourdough Pasta {1 Hr. or Overnight}
- Overnight Sourdough Apple Cake
- Moist, Fluffy Sourdough Gingerbread Cake
Moist Sourdough Blueberry Muffins (Overnight Option)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
It took me a year to get this recipe right. The texture is light and delicate, perfectly moist, with the taste of fresh blueberry goodness in every bite. You can bake these muffins on the same day, or to benefit from sourdough’s natural digestibility, ferment the batter overnight and bake in the morning.
Ingredients
- 200 g all purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 60 g sourdough starter (active sourdough starter or sourdough discard)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 115 g (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature (soft)
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs
- 165 g (1 heaping cup) fresh blueberries, plus more for decoration
- Powdered sugar, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F/ 190 C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the sourdough starter and milk together in a separate small bowl; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand with a wooden spoon): cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and zest together. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Working in batches, add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Once absorbed, add half of the milk mixture. Repeat until everything is used up and the batter is smooth and well incorporated.
- Fold the blueberries into the bowl with a rubber spatula. Make sure to evenly distribute the berries throughout the batter (check the bottom of the bowl!).
- Fill the muffin pan, about 3/4 of the way full. Top with a few berries if you like, making sure to tuck them in so they don’t pop out during baking.
- At this point, you can bake right away or chill overnight, for 12+ hours.
- To bake now: place the tin on the center rack and bake for 25-28 minutes.
- To bake later: remove the tin from the refrigerator; discard the foil. Bake straight from cold for 25-28 minutes.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling so the bottoms don’t get soggy.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with powdered sugar.
Keywords: sourdough, sourdough discard recipes, easy, blueberries, overnight, fermented, muffins
Comments
Barb.G says
Delicious! I substituted fresh cranberries by weight, cut in half, and orange zest for the lemon, then juiced the orange and added milk to equal 1/2 cup. I did the overnight rest and baked them up for breakfast the next day. They are bright, tangy and sweet all in one. My husband loved them. Thank you Emilie.
★★★★★
Joanna says
★★★★★
Deb says
Hey Emilie!
I made these yesterday, but substituted blueberries with Cranberries (Craisins, actually) and orange extract plus orange zest. They are delicious!
★★★★★
Christine says
Love this recipe! I really appreciate the overnight option, which allows me to have fresh muffins in the morning but do all the work the day before. I have made them twice with blueberries and once with chocolate chips–my kids were thrilled!
★★★★★
Rachel says
I made these with starter discard and brown sugar instead of white sugar. They turned out fantastic! I love how they’re a little crunchy on the outside but super fluffy and light on the inside.
★★★★
Laura says
this recipe is excellent! i whipped it up last night and baked them this morning. topped with a little turbinado sugar for a little crunch. thanks for the recipe- i will definitely use it again!
★★★★★
Autumn says
Can I substitute oil instead of butter?
Shar McCoy says
I made 4 batches of banana muffins! I mashed one banana in a measuring cup then added only enough milk to equal 1/2 cup (sometimes just slightly more). To two of the batches I folded in a cup of mini chocolate chips.
Tomorrow I plan to make waffles again. Thank you, Emilie, so much for working out these recipes!
★★★★★
Shar McCoy says
I love this recipe! I tried a few variations beside making the blueberry batch and they worked out wonderfully! I did Chocolate -Choclate chip by reducing the flour by 2 Tablespoons and replacing it with same amount of cocoa powder and adding chocolate chips instead of Blueberries. I did apple Cinnamon, and chocolate chip. Going to try banana!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Love, love, love this! Thank you sharing your tips!
CJ Tinkle says
Can I use buttermilk with this vs regular milk, or will it go wild with the baking soda?
Michelle says
These are absolutely delicious! I’m not even a huge muffin fan but these changed my mind. My whole family loves them. I tried them using blackberries from the farmer’s market, too, and those were also a hit! I love how I was able to mix them up and put in the pan the night before so in the morning I could just put them straight into my preheated oven. It made the morning so easy. I was curious how that would work and I was very pleased. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I ordered your sourdough cookbook because I loved all the recipes using sourdough starter. I feel like it’s healthier to use that in my baked goods but I needed ideas. Wonderful. I’ve already made the cheddar dill bread and used it for BLTs. Yummy!
★★★★★
Korni says
I made these but used dried cranberries and orange zest! They turned out really soft and delicious. They are almost as good as my regular muffins (fresh) and actually they still tasted pretty much the same after 3-4 days which is absolutely not the case for regular muffins. So i actually think these are better for meal prep!
Also appreciated how they could be baked from cold and prepped in the evening. In the case of regular muffins using baking powder, you just can’t do that. I really want to try a savory version!
★★★★
Audrey says
Oh my! These are fabulous muffins. Did the overnight method and they are light and delicious! Will definitely be making these more often as our blueberries ripen!
★★★★★
Erin says
The weights on the flour and sugar are wrong. You state 200 grams for each but sugar 1 cup and flour 1 1/2 cup. I didn’t catch it first time I made these as I likely didn’t weigh them out but caught it on my second time. Anyways they are excellent muffins!
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Erin! The weights are correct. It’s the conversion to cups that’s not equal. It’s not supposed to be. This is because flour and sugar weigh different amounts, respectively. For example, 1 cup of flour usually weighs 125- 130 g. 1 cup of sugar usually weighs 200 g. Hope this makes sense!
Pam says
OMG!!!! I seriously can’t speak right now! I just made these blueberry muffins and I think I’ve died and now in heaven!! That was THE BEST thing I’ve ever put in my mouth!!! My hubby agrees!!! I’m getting ready to make more now and freeze!
★★★★★
Nan says
The muffins are incredible—the perfect balance of flavor along with a very smooth texture. The recipe creates a beautiful treat that you’ll be happy to share with others. Thank you for your hard work and persistence in creating this recipe. I’m certain it’s one that will be used frequently!
★★★★★
Patti says
Hi! I’m looking for a Muffin Recipe using Rhubarb. Can I use this recipe and simply use rhubarb instead of blueberries? We have a large patch of rhubarb in our garden that’s ready for picking!
P.S. I have your book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple and just took out of the oven two loaves of your Cheddar Jalapeño & Chive – it smells absolutely yummy!
Alex says
Looks great! Have you tried this with whole wheat flour?
Melody says
I fermented in refrigerator overnight. In a.m. I really thought the muffins were going to be too heavy. They didn’t rise at all and the pan felt heavy! To my surprise, they cooked up wonderfully – very fluffy, not heavy at all. I used frozen blueberries since i don’t have fresh. They folded in nicely into the batter in the evening, and were still nice and plump when cooked. Looked like the store bakery muffins, but waaaaay better !!! Thanks for a fantastic FIVE STAR RECIPE :)
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Melody, this is such great feedback, thank you. You are totally right: the pan will feel heavy the next day! The batter is cold and somewhat dense following an overnight fermentation. And it won’t rise (much). All normal. The final texture bakes up velvety smooth and fluffy. I’m thrilled to hear this about using the frozen berries too. Thanks again for sharing :)
Tatia says
Can I do the overnight ferment before adding the blueberries? I was thinking of bulk fermenting and the next morning folding in the berries and then putting them into the muffin cups. Just curious if you had tried that already or if that would affect the rise?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Tatia! I haven’t tried it this way yet, but it’s worth giving a shot. Just keep in mind the batter will be cold after an overnight rest in the fridge; fold in the berries gently! If you experiment, I’d love to hear how they came out. Enjoy!
Joanne c says
I baked these with my kids this morning. And I can tell you they are kid approved! Looking forward to trying the longer fermentation method. Ps I used a couple day old discard from fridge 🙌🏻
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Excellent to hear! Kid approved… it’s like wining a golden trophy, lol.
Lisa Keys says
Eating a warm one now for breakfast. I did the overnight version. These turned out really well. Your recipes never disappoint. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Lisa, thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m glad you liked them! xx
Susan Melchior says
If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s dried blueberries they are delicious when used in baking. They plump up and easier to use than fresh sometimes.
Your recipe is delicious
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Great suggestion, thank you! I’ve only used TJ’s dried blueberries in my sourdough bread and bagels, but I imagine they’re delicious in muffins too.
Kim says
I don’t see amount or type of blueberries used in this recipe, please advise. =)
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Kim! Sorry about that… I managed to forget the most important ingredient, lol. You’ll need 1 heaping cup (165 g) fresh blueberries. Recipe updated.
Emily says
Hi,
This looks great! How many cups of blueberries do you use? Is frozen okay?
Thanks,
Emily
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Emily! You’ll need 1 heaping cup (165 g) fresh blueberries. Typically, I prefer fresh blueberries for best texture, especially if you’re doing the overnight fermentation (they hold their shape better and the batter won’t be as wet- frozen berries release moisture as they defrost). Alternatively, frozen blueberries can be used if you’re baking right away and/or you don’t mind a little trial and error with the overnight option!